Bed slat hanger



Patented May 22, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

one or the other end of the slat to slip off of the supporting edge, and thus deprive the springs of support. In some instances it is desirable to support the springs and mattress at different heights from the floor and with relation to the upper edges of the bed rails. For example, with sick or elderly persons, it may be desirable to place the slats in an extremely low supporting position so that a person may get in or out of the bed easily. In some cases it may be desirable to support the slats in an extremely high position so that it would be easier to take care of a bedfast patient. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a means of supporting bed slats which will prevent them from becoming dislodged when in their supporting positions, and which supporting structure will make it possible to provide a hanger designed to support a bed slat in a desired horizontal plane. It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a bed slat hanger which may be very cheaply manufactured and which may be instantly mounted upon the side rails of a bed to receive the end of a bed slat and to hold the end of the bed slat against dislodgment, the structure being light in weight, and of a design which makes it possible for the hanger to be applied to a bed rail without the use of any screws or other like fastening means.

vision of a bed slat hanger which is preferably formed from a piece of sheet metal of a configuration to permit it to be easily folded to form a hanger member and a slat receiving pocket, the structure having means engaging the edge of a bed rail to dispose the pocket at a point between the bed rails and into the ends of which pockets a slat may be seated.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyin drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a fragmentary portion of a bed rail, the slat hanger with which the present invention is concerned, and a fragmentary portion of a bed slat positioned within the pocket of the hanger.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan showing the sheet metal blank from which the hanger is formed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates the rail of a bedstead. The rail is here shown as being made of wood although it will be understood that the device embodying the present invention could be designed for use with metal rails. The upper edge of the rail [0 is here shown as being slightly rounded. This is merely an example of the bed rail construction and it is obvious that other configurations could be given to the edge of the rail. The device with which the present invention is concerned is the hanger II to receive a bed slat l2.

The hanger is made from a flat sheet of metal shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The metal is out to form a T-shaped blank l3 having a center portion I4 and opposite lateral portions [5 and [B at one end thereof. The center portion 14 is curved or hooked to form a rail engaging end [1. At the opposite end of the center portion M from the rail engaging end I! the portion I4 is bent along a transverse line indicated by the dotted line I8 in Fig. 2. This line occurs between and in alignment with edges of the lateral portions I 5 and it. The lateral portions l5 and I6 are bent along the fold lines indicated by dotted lines l9 and 20 which are in alignment with the opposite longitudinaledges of the center portion [4. As shown in Fig. 1, the lateral portions are bent upwardly and parallel to each other to form wall sections 2|, after which the free ends of the lateral portions I5 and I6 are bent over to positions parallel to each other and to provide top flanges 22. These portions are bent over on fold lines 23, as indicated in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that when the lateral portions are bent, as shown in Fig. 1, a pocket 24 will be provided, the cross-sectional dimensions of which are such as to accommodate the slats l2. It will also be seen that the intermediate section of the center portion H, as indicated at I4, will be bent along the line Hi to assume a position at right angles to the portion [4. This will cause the edges of the lateral portions 15, which edges are in the same plane as the fold line l8, to lie flush against the vertical center portion M of the hanger. In order to give strength to the structure these edges may be welded to the face of the center portion [4, as indicated at 25, and the abutting free edges of the lateral portions l4 and I5 may be welded together along the line 26.

It is to be understood that the vertical length of the portion I4 may be as desired, and that the rail engaging portion I! may be bent in any suitable manner to conform to the contour of the upper edge of the rail. It is also to be pointed out that the depth of the pocket 24 which is represented by the width of the lateral portions l and 16 shall be sufficient to receive the end of a slat I2 and to prevent it from being dislodged therefrom after the slat hangers II have been placed in position along the rail. By this arrangementwhen slat-hangers I l'have been-placed upon opposite ends of a slat l2 and the assembled structure is disposed between the side rails ID of a bedstead there will be no possibility for the hangers II to become disengaged from, the

rails of the bedstead and there will not beany possibility for the slats to become dislodged from-- the pockets 24 of the hangers. The; construction of the hangers is such as to make it possible to easily manufacture the hanger with relatively long vertical center sections 14 or short vertical center sections it; This will give selection in providing hangers'for supportinga mattress high above the rails IE3 or in arelatively low. position down between the rails, as might beoreqtuired This is accomplished by placing complementary hangersuponopposite ends of a bed slatl2'and then disposing theslat with thehangers down between the rails it; with the'rail engaging por-- tion H overhanging the upper edges of the-rails.

Springsand a mattress'maythen beplaced upon the slats and will tend to hold-the hangers II in their seated positions uponthe rails iii; At the same timethe-depth ofthe pockets 24'will' prevent the'ends of theslats frombeingdis-- lodged from thepockets It will thus be-seen that the'structure: heredisclosed may be niadeiroma one-piece sheet metal blankwh-iehcanbefolded easily to'form a hanger and a-pocket, and which will receiveand-support a'slat at a desired vertical position and without possibility that it will'be dislodged from the-pockets of the'hangers.

While I haveshownthe preferred-former myinvention' as now known to me, it'willbe understood that various changes may be made in combination, construction and arrangemet of parts by those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of the inventionas claimed;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure: by- LettersfiPa-tent is:

1'. A slat hanger forbedsteads comprising a; substantially flat portiondesignedto extend vertically alongth'e inner'sideof a bedrail, a continuation thereof at the upperend; of said portion bent to form a rail-engaging section; a continuationof said iflat portion at the lower-edge thereof bent in the opposite-direction of the-upper section and forming a ledge upon which a. slat may rest, the opposite edges of said-lower bent 4 portion which forms said ledge being folded upwardly parallel to each other and then folded toward each other to lie in a horizontal plane whereby a slat receiving pocket will be formed.

2. An individual slat hanger for bedsteads having a pair of longitudinal side rails, said hanger comprising a vertical sheet-metal portion adapted to conform to the inner wall of one of said side rails: and having an outwardly and downwardly bent hook portion at the upper end thereof adapted to receive and conform to the upper marginal portion of said side rail, a slat pocket bottom wall portion formed integrally with and disposed at right angles to the vertical portion, a pair of vertical pocket side wall portions formed integrally withthepocket bottom and bent upwardly at right angles from said pocket bottom wallportion, the outer edges of said pocket side 'wall portions being disposed contiguous to the verticalportion', and a pair of pocket'topetabs, one ofs'which; is, formed integrally with each pocket side wall portion, said top tabs being bentinwardly. toward each other to define with the pocketside and bottom walls arectangular pocket adapted to-receiVe the end of a bed. slat therein, the-outer end: of thegpocket being closed by the, vertical portionto. protectthe bed side rail from. contact bytheend-of the bedslat. in said pocket.

3. The -hanger defined in vclaim 2' wherein the, toptabs are in endwise contiguous relation to. each' other; and in edgewise contiguous relation to the vertical portion 4; The-method of forming-aT-shaped piece of sheet-meta-l--into--ahanger for a bed'slat of pre determined thickness which. comprises inverting: the T-shaped piece of sheet-metal, bending the sternof-the-T at right angles to theheadthereof on-the-lineofjuncture of-the stem with thehead, V bending thetwo laterally extending endportions of "the head upwardly alongside the. sides of the stem-portion-of' the T, bending theupper ends of the -th'us -upbent side portions of the-headinwardlyto'ward==each-:other at-a height equal: to the predetermined thickness ofa bed slat, theinwardly-bentportions being of alengthless than the-width of the stem. of the- T, andbendingthe upperend--ofthe stem portion outwardly anddownwardly t0 -f0rma hookadapted tohave close-supporting; engagement withthe upper marginal portion -ofa bed-rail;

WILLIAM BRANDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oftthis patent UNITED; STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 409,893 Wray= Aug. 2'7, 1889*- 595,930' Willis Dec.- 21, 1897 666,918 Butz Jan.- 29, 1901 717,316 Avery Dec. 30; 1902 136231392 Sobray-- Apr-. 5, 1927' FOREIGNIPATENTS;

Number: Country; Date:

9,1;808. Austrian; Mar.- 26,1923 

